Automatic rapid-fire gun.



` Patented Apr. 22, |902.

Kv. P. DE KNIGHT. AUTOMATIC RAPID FIRE GUN. (Application med July 2o,189s* nanewed oci. 29', moo.)

s sheets-sheet, L

(No Model.)

No. 69a,|o7. Patented Apr. 2'2, |902.'

y V. P. DE KNIGHT.

AUTOMATIC RAPID FIRE GUN;

(Application led July 20, 189B. Renewed Oct. 29, 1900.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2;

Patented Apr. 22, |902.f

(Application filed July 20, 1898. Renewed Oct. 29, 1900.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

No. 698,107. l Patented Apr. 22, |902.

v. P. DE KNIGHT.

AUTUMATIC RAPID FIRE GUN.

(Application led July 20, 1898. Renewed Oct. 29, 1900.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4,

gm m w Patented Apu-212 |902'.

No. 69a,|o7.

V. P. DEVKNIGHT. AuTomATlc RAPID Fim; Gun.

4 (Applicaton--1d July 20, 1898. Renewed Oct. 29, 1960.) (Nb Model.) 5Sheets-Sheet 5,

Ilm mulmnl mm* @ewan IIHIIIIIHlllllllllllllll YH: nonms PETERS co.,PHoTo-umu. wAsmNGToN. l: C

fis

" UNIT-.ED "STATES PATENT ERICE.

vICToREP.- DE KNIGHT, OE WASHINGTON, DIsTRICT OE COLUMBIA, As-

A`sIGNoR,T,RY DIRECTAND MEsNEAssIGNMENTs, TO THE vICToR P. DEV KNIGHTGUN COMPANY, OEvvAsHINGTON, DISTRICT OE COLUM- RIA, A CORPORATION OEDELAWARE. n

AUTOMATIC 'RAPIDFIRr-L GUN.

, s'PEoIr-ICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 698,107, dated Apen22,;902. y

A .Application filed July 20, 1898. Renewed October 29, 1900. Serial No.34.803. (No model.) l

'To all z'vwnt llt/Inlay concern.-

Be it known that I, VICTOR P. DE KNIGHT,

a citizen oi the United States, residing at.

'Washingtomin the District of Columbia, have 5` invented certain new anduseful Improvevments in Automatic lRapid-Fire Guns; and I do herebydeclarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which itappertainsto maire and use the same.. This invention 'relates to vbreech-loading ordnance, andy particularlyto the construction of`rapid-fire machine-guns whereinthe motive force to continue theoperation ofthe gun and cause'successive 'dischargesto take placeautomatically,` althoughsomeof the novel features hereinafter describedmay be I embodied in other types of guns.

Compactness of construction, a minimum number of parts,"stability of thesame,lightl ness in Weight of thev moving'p'arts', accessibility to allthe parts, andprovision for accuracy and surene'ss in the Operation ofthe gun are desiderata which have been ,kept

constantly 'in view in the yevolution of the present invention, thelatter consisting in a number ofpnovel constructions and combinations ofelements set forth in the appended claims. y A Y The drawingsWhich'accompany and form part of this specification illustrateapreferred form ofv embodiment of the invention and of said drawings.

section with the parts in the' .relation they maintain when the gun isnot in operation, but ready to fire. Fig. 2 isa similar viewin which theparts appearin therelation' they assume immediately aftera dischargewhen reloading is in progress. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on thelinelll III of Fig. 1 look-v ing in the direction of the arrow crossingsaid line. Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 1V IV of Fig. 2,vthis view and Fig. 3 being on an yenlarged scale as compared with Figs.1 and 2 and the section-line being stagi gered.v Fig. 5 is across-section taken on the line V V of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is across-sectional gas evolved in each discharge isputilized asa Figure 1represents the gun in longitudinal front elevation'of the device forextracting the cartridge from the belt, which device ap-4 pears insideelevation in Figs. 1 and 2. f Fig. 7 'shows' this device in bottomplan view, together with some parts in the immediate vicinity. Fig. 3represents yin perspective an eind portionof the cartridge -.belt. Figs.9

and 10 arefragmentary longitudinal sectional views illustrating th etrigger,sear, and breechblock lock on any enlarged scale, together withcooperating parts, Fig. 9 showing the relation of parts when the gun isnot liring and Fig. 10 showing the relation of lparts when the gun. isfiring. Fig. 11 shows a portion of vthe gun in horizontal section,illustrating the cartridge-feeding mechanisml as it would appear whenthe operating parts are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1. Fig.12 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section illustrating thedevices for guiding or .pointing the cartridgein loading, these devicesbeing in" the relation they assume when the parts 'connecte'dwith thegas-operated plun` ger or piston have advanced a short distance underthe iniiuence of the retractile springs. Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectionof the front lower portion Aof the receiver of the'gun, a cartridgebeing shown in position to be shoved into' the barrel and dotted linesrepresenting an advanced `position of the cartridge such as to permitits vdropping into line with the bore of the barrel.l Fig. 14 is ahorizontal section of a still vlower portion of the receiver,illustrating shell extracting and ejecting devices. Fig. 15 is a similarsection taken on adilterent plane and with the parts in a differentrelation. Fig.V lois a de-l tail perspective view of a Spanner forremoving the rear closure of the piston-cylinder.

Fig. 17 is a similar view of an instrument em' ployed for extractingrthepiston or plunger after removalofsaid closure,thev upper portion beingbroken away to illustrate the construction of the instrument.

tail perspective view of a broken-O portion of a rod employed as ahandle in connection with said Spanner and piston-extracting device.Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the reciprocating gas -impellcdstructure, repre- Fig. 18 is a dej of generally cylindrical form,

sented as broken away at one place and a portion of the structureseparated from the remainder for better illustration. Fig. 2O is across-section on the line XX XX of Fig. l0. Fig. 21 is a cross-sectionof the breech-block, taken on the line XXI XXI of Fig. 19. Fig. 22 is aperspective View of the rear closure of the gas-cylinder. Figs. 23 and24 are perspective views of members of the cartridgefeeding mechanism.Figs. 25 and 20 are perspective views of members of thecartridgepointing mechanism. Fig. 27 is aperspective view of thestationary support for the retractile springs, portions ot' said springsbeing shown in connection with said support. Figs. 28 and 29 representin perspective and separated from each other the'sear, the breechblocklock, and part of the trigger. Fig. 30 is a perspective view of amodified form of stock or receivercasing. Figjl isa longitudinalvertical section of the same, showing a modied arrangement of partsWithin. Figs. 32 and 33 are perspective views of the sear and lock ofthis modilied construction. Fig. 34 is a cross-section, on an enlargedscale, taken on line XXXIV XXXIV of Fig. 3l. Fig. 35 is a plan View ofpart of the trigger connections shown in Fig. 3l. Fig. 36 is ahorizontal section illustrating a modified form of cartridge-feedingmechanism, and Fig. 37 is a cross section on the line XXXVII XXXVII ofFig. 3G. l

The gun is here shown adapted to be supported upon a tripod, which mayconsist of legs a, jointed to a tubular socket a', receiving the sternof a forked post a2, the upper portions of whose arms are formed asbearings, (see Fig. 4,) in which trunnions b are journaled, thesetrunnions being formed upon the sides of the receiver b of the gun. Ascrew a3 is pivoted at one end to an ear on the stem of said post, and aturnbuckle a4 engages said screw and isl swiveled to a knuckle a5,pivoted to an appropriate part of the gun, S0 that by turning the saidturnbuckle the gun may be tilted on its trunnions b,'and therebysighted. The solid lower front portion of this receiver, from whichthese trunnions project, is longitudinally bored and screw-threaded, asshown at b2, and the gunbarrel c is screwed home in this bore of thereceiver, its inner end being Hush with the shoulder formed by the innerend of the said solid lower frontportion of the receiver. The front endof the receiver is formed with an eXteriorly-screw threaded hollow bossor flange Z13, and the flanged inner end of a jacket rl abuts the endface of said hollow boss, a clamping-collar d taking over the fiange ofsaid jacket and engaging the screwthreads of the boss, so as to hold thejacket tightly against the same. The said jacket is but tapers slight-lytoward its forward end, which is closedand through which the barrel cprotrudes, said barrel where it passesthrough the end of the jacketbeing slightly thickened and screw-threaded, as shown at c', and ascrew-threaded collar c2 being applied to said portion c and against ashoulder c8 on the barrel and tightly fitting an opening made for it inthe end of the jacket. A flanged clamping-collar c4 fits over the end ofthe barrel and is internally screw-threaded to engage the screw-threadedportion c of the barrel, and said clamping-collar abuts the outer end ofthe collar c2. By the above-described construction the outer end of thebarrel is securely fastened to the jacket and an effective closure ofthe latter is provided around the barrel.

At an appropriate point within the jacket the barrel cis formed upon itsupper side with a boss c5, having a central bore c, which communicateswith the bore of the barrel, so that after the ball has passed the portformed in the upperside of thegun-barrel by this bore c( gas may escapefrom the gun-barrel into the latter. A bent pipe @,contained withinthejacket d, is formed at its forward end with a circular head c', whichbears upon thetop of the boss c5 and has a transverse opening through itwhich is screw-threaded to receive a plug e2, also engaging ascrew-threaded socket in said boss, so that this plug constitutes ameans of connection between the barrel and the pipe. This plug is formedwith a longitudinal bore e3, alining with the bore cG in the boss, andalso has a radial bore e4, whichalines with the bore of the pipe e, thelocation of this radial bore being such that when the plug is screwedhome alinement ot' the radial bore and the bore of the pipe will follow.A screw c is entered through one side of the head c on the pipe c and isformed with a reduced plain end portion e7, which enters a continuationof the radial bore e4 and is adapted to constitute a valve or choker toregulate the amount of gas passing into the pipe e from the gun-barrel.This pipe e' is compounded with a cylinder e8, positioned in the reallupper portion of the jacket CZ and having an interior diameter muchgreater than the interior diameter of the pipe, the small interiordiameter of the pipe decreasing the volume of air to be displaced by thegas and so'quickening'the action. The rear end of this cylinder isformed with exterior screwthreads, as shown at e9, for engagement withinterior screw-threads f a boss b, formed upon the front of the receiverb', in connection with the iiange b3, hereinbefore mentioned. Thecylinder es has a squared portion e, and the jacket CZ has a pair oflugs c7 on its interior, which coperate with said squared portion of thecylinder, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to prevent the jacket from turning.This jacket is intended to contain a supply of water to keep down thetemperature of the gun-barrel and the gasconduit,and an inlet-openingisformed in the jacket, preferably at the upper rear portion ot' the same,as shown at cS per c9 is provided for said inlet-opening. An

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in Fig. 3, and asuitable stopa purpose which will presently appear.

low, as shown in Fig. 2, .withone end closed" by a screw-plug f, so asto reduce weight as much as possible, and thereby increase promptnessofaction, and t-he other endv formed with a mushroom-shaped head f6, forThe rear end of the cylinder is closed by a screwthreaded plugfwhichengages screwthreads in a continuation of the bore ofthe boss b4, andthis plug s formed with a number of perforatious f3, which prevent theformation of an air-cushion or avacuum in the rear endof the cylinder,which would impair the operation of the piston or plunger therein. Theseopenings are utilized in the removal of the plug for cleaning or otherpurposes, a Spanner, such as shown in Fig. 16, be-

ing employed and consisting of a disk f4 and pins]c5 thereon, adapted toengage a pair of openings in the plug. An implement, such as shown inFig. 17, is employed for removingthe piston or plunger, vcomprising acylindrical body portion'f, a pair of catches f8 for engaging themushroom-shaped head f6 of the plunger, pivoted to said body withinsuitable recesses, and a spring f, contained within a transverse openingiu said body portion and pressing the outer ends of the catches towardeach other. vA rod f9 of appropriate length is employed. in connectionwith the above-described'spanner and piston extracting implements, saidrod being formed with a squared end portion f" forengagement with asquared opening f 10 in the disk of the spanner, and beyond said squaredportion is a screw-threaded end portion fm, adapted to engage alscrew-threaded socket 7013 in the body portion of the extractingimplement- (Shown in Fig. 17.)

A rod g slides through the plug f2, its forward end entering thecylinder and abutting the head of the piston therein, and said rod ispreferably made hollow and vclosed at its endsby screw-plugs, as shownat g'Y in Figs. 2 and 11. This rod constitutes part of a structure whichis reciprocated after each `discharge of the gun, this structure beingdriven back by the pressure of gas against the piston f and beingadvanced by the retractile force of spiral springs g2, which at theirforn ward ends are engaged with a round crosspiece g3, located at theupper forward corner of the receiver, this cross-piece being shown indetail in Fig. 27. At their rear ends these springs are connected by ayoke g4, which embraces a bifurcated upstanding arm gon a block g, whichis interiorly screw-threaded, as shown in Fig. 11, to receive theexterior-lyscrew-threaded rear end of the rofl g, the connection betweenthe block and rod being made secure by means of a set-screw gl, enteredvthrough one side of the block and engaging the rod. This block visformed on each side with bifurcations g8, which engage guidingstrips gg,extending along the side walls of the receiver, turning of the rod oryparts attached thereto being thereby absolutely prevented.

The rear end of the gun-stock is formed by a substantial wedge-block h,which is vertically grooved at the sides, as shown at h in Fig. 11, forengaging with vertical strips or ribs 712, formed on the sides of thereceiver, said block being adapted to slide down into place and beingreadily removable after the top plate b5 of the receiver has beendetached. The block h may receive the blow of the rod g Withoutcushioning means; but I prefer to incase a comparatively stiff springh3within the block and between a screw-plug h4, closing the rear end ofthe chamber containing said spring, and the headof a buffer-pin h5,which normally protrudes from the front face of the block, as shown inFig. 1, so as to receive the blow of the rod. This blow is due, ofcourse, to the operation of the gas against the piston f, and as arearward stroke of the rod is necessary to the loading of the gunmanipulative means must be provided to effect arearward stroke of therod at the outset, and the means here shown for this purpose comprise ahandle or pull t', carried by the block h, and a rod t", compounded withsaid handle and sliding through an opening in the upper partof saidblock and passing through the bifurcation of the arm g5 on theblockg6,\vhicl1, it will be remembered, is rmly secured to thereciprocating rod. The said rod il is formed with a round head t2, (seeFig. 19,)adapted toabut the front side of the bifurcated arm upon saidrod il being drawn out by a pull upon the handle t', and thus it will beseen that manipulative means are provided for effecting a rearwardstroke of the rod,- so that at the outset the gun can be loaded, itbeing understood that thereafter the loading takes place automatically.I also provide for operation of the gun by hand in case of an emergency,provision being made for effectingaforward stroke of the rod g bymanipulation of the handle z', as well as a rearward stroke, so that byworking said handle in and out rapid firing of the gun can be manuallyeffected. To this end the rod '11 is formed at a short distance back ofthe head 112 with a cross-head fis, which normally stands vertically,and thus positioned will freely pass through the bifurcation of the armg5; butby turning the rod t this cross-headwill be brought to a positionwhere it will abut the bifurcated arm, and therefore by drawing the rodt rearwardly until the head t2 abuts the front side of the bifurcatedarm g5 and then turning the said rod through an angle of ninety degreesthe cross-head will be positioned to abut the rear side of the saidbifurcated arm, and these parts are so interlocked that by reciprocatingthe handle t' the rod g will be reciprocated in an obvious manner. Inits normal position IOO Ilo'

against the block 7L the handle z' is held vertical by reason cfa pin#on its lower end engaging a socket formed for it in the block 7L, andof course the handle must first be drawn out far enough to disengagesaid pin from said socket before it can be turned.

The cartridges are fed to the gun in abelt which is composed of stripsof canvas j, connected by transverse rows of stitching, between whichpockets are formed to receive the cartridges 2, the belt being adaptedto embrace the central portions of the cartridges, so that thelatter canproject to a considerable extent on each side of the belt, the purposeof which will hereinafter appear. The cartridge-belt passes transverselythrough the front portion of the receiver, entering through anopeningjin one side thereof, which opening is sufficiently Wider thanthe length of a cartridge to permit the latter to pass freely throughit, said belt passing out of the receiver through an openingjl in theopposite side of the latter of considerably less width than the lengthof a cartridge and adapted to be conveniently closed to exclude dust anddirt when ther gun is not in use by a hinged shutter f, as shown in Fig.4. The bottom of the passage-way through the receiver between theopenings j and j" is channeled, as shown aty', to accommodate the beltj,while the cartridges rideupon theledgesjlzleft along each side of thechannel. The bottom of the outlet-openingj" is a continuation of thebottom of said channel, as shown in Fig. 4, while the ledges form partof the bottom of' the inlet-openingjl and terminate at verticalshouldersj13 within the receiver and against which the cartridges abutby reason of their projection at each side of the belt, these shouldersand ledges forming a kind of throat to receive the cartridge. In orderto prevent a cartridge-from rising after it has entered the throat, apin ,714 projects from the rearmost one of the vertical shoulders l7'13and is slightly inclined, so that the cartridge will readily enterbeneath it, as shown in Fig. 4. A casingjg, rectangular incross-section, as shown in Fig.

5, is fastened to the receiveraround the opening j in the side thereof,s-aid casing being flanged for the purpose and its interiorshaped likesaid opening. The bottom of the casing has a channel j, alining with thechannel 711 in the receiver, and side ledges jl alining with theledgesjg, the ledge at one side being higher than that at the other, sothat the cartridge, resting with its hanged head on one ledge and itsball on the other, will be held horizontahas shown in Fig. 5. The sidesof the casing are somewhat broadened at -the outer lower portions, asshown atf, and support a r0llerj5,over which abelt of cartridgestravels, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, and in the top of the casingthere are formed parallel longitudinal grooves j, which are undercut, asshown atj", and receive the arms of a slide whose inner portion 70',connecting said arms, projects into the receiver and is jointed byaslot-and-pin connection (shown at 702) to a lever 703, pivoted at 704 tothe receiver-casing and adapted to vibrate in a horizontal plane, saidlever being,r impelled in a direction to move the slide outwardly by afiat spring 7c, which is fastened at one end to the lever and bears nearits other end against one side wall of the receiver. This lever carriesan antifriction-roller 70', Which bears against the edge of a cam-piece70, which is formed with or may be fixedly attached to a block m,affixed to the rod g, the said cam-piece having anincline 707,Which runsdown from the highest part of the cam-piece toward the forward end ofthe rod and practically merges into the surface of the latter, so thatupon the rod being moved rearwardly the spring 705 may 0perate to movethe lever on its pivot and thereby cause the slide to move outwardly.Oi'

courseupon thereverse movement of the rod g the incline 707, actingagainst the roller 70', will move the lever againstthe tension of thespring 705,and consequently draw the slide inwardly. When the lever isconstructed with a tailpiece 708, as shown in Fig. ll, the campiece willbe made with an incline ki on a reverse angle to the incline 707 andadapted to encounter the tailpiece 70S upon a rearward movement of therod g, so that instead of relying upon the spring 705 to move the slideoutwardly the outward movement of the latter will be effectedpositively. However, this tailpiece on the lever is not essential andmay well be dispensed with, as the spring will ordinarily accomplish theoutward movement of the slide in a thoroughly-effective manner.

The arms 70 of the slide are formed on their inner sides with iianges70", which occupy the undercut portions j? of the grooves jf', wherebythe arms are properly held up in said grooves, and said arms are slottedlongitudinally, as shown at 7012, to receive feed-dogs 7013, which arepivoted in the outer ends of the slots and formed to abut the rear Wallsof the latter, so that their downward movement is properly limited,these dogs being adapted to drop far enough to effectively engage thecartridges where they protrude from the sides of the belt. Flat springs7014 are fastened in recesses formed as continuations of the slots, andsaid springs bear upon the upper edges of the feed-dogs and press thesame downwardly, so as to hold them in position for engagement with thecartridge during the inward movement of the slide. Upon the outwardmovement of the slide the said springs yield, so that the dogs will passeasily over the cartridge to be next advanced by them. In view of thefact that the feed-dogs act against thel next cartridge to the one fedinto the throat of the receiver, the belt is equipped at its tail endwith an abutment-piece for the dogs, or one of them, to engage infeeding the last cartridge into the throat, this abutmentpiece, asshownin Fig. 8, being in the form of a flat spring 3, fastened to a metalclip 4, which is secured to the canvas strips j. The

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spring projects from the clip sufficiently to be engaged by one of thefeed-dogs and will yield suicientlywhenitencountersthe shoulderj13(shown in Fig. 4) to permit the belt being pulled out of the receiverafter the last cartridge has been extracted from it. In order to preventbackward movement of the cartridge-belt, catches 7516 are pivoted inrecesses formed in the ledgesjl, and springs le are arranged to presssaid catches upwardly, so that they stand behind the cartridge next tothe one being extracted, as shown in Fig. et, and thereby preventbackward movement of the cartridge-belt, upward movement of the saidcatches being limited by their abutment against the rear ends of therecesses.

The block m, hereinbefore referred to as mounted upon the rod g, isaffixed thereto by means of aset-screw'm, (see Fig. 19,)'and its rearside abuts a half-collar or segment m2, brazed or otherwise fastened tothe rod and formed in one piece with a rib 'm3, extending along theupper side of the Vrod and also secured theretointegally witha collarm4, which surrounds the rod. Thus the block is well backed up, and said.screw fm is not relied upon to resist end thrusts. The block carries onone side a roller m5, which travels in contact with one side wall of thereceiver and prevents warping of the rod g by the lateral strain putupon it in the operation. of the feed mechanism above described. Theblock m is vertically grooved in opposite sides and across the top, andin the side grooves fingers m6 are pivoted, said fingers havingoutwardlyextending portions or heels m7 at their upper ends, which areacted upon by a fiat spring ms, lying inthe top groove of the block andsecured to the llatter at the middle, this single spring thus acting topress the fingers toward each other and normally hold them against thebottoms ofthe side grooves. The lower portions of these fingers arevdisposed obliquely, so that their rearmost edges m9 are nearer togetherthan their forward edges, said rearmost edges being adapted to engagethe fiange of the cartridge in extracting the same from the belt. In theforward movement of the rod g the inner oblique faces of the fingers arecarried into contact with the flange of the cartridge, and the fiatspring m8 allows said fingers to open slight-ly, so as to permit theirrear edges m9 to pass by the said fiange, whereupon they snap in frontof the same, so that upon the rearward movement of the rod they willoperate to extract the cartridge from the belt. are formed on the rearedges of the fingers, and they operate to preventthe cartridge frommoving above its proper position when being extracted from the belt.

In the bottom of the receiver there is formed a longitudinal cylindricalchamber or slidewayn, whichis in alinement with the barrel, butwhich'has a bore ofmuch larger diameter than that of the barrel, saidchamber at its forward end being adapted to receive the carbarrel andconstituting a guide for pointing`A 1 2 At a Suitable elevation Spurs mw1n line vt ith the projection o.

tridge after the same has been extracted from the belt and carriedrearwardly. In the upper side of this chamber, just back of the barrel,an opening n is made, of sufficient size to permit the passage of acartridge through it into the chan1ber,except at the rear end oftheopening, where elongatedlugs or protuberances n2 at opposite sideseffect a contraction thereof sufficient to prevent the flange of thecartridge from passing through when in its rearmost position. This iswell illustrated in Fig. 13, which also shows in dotted lines a positionof the shell indicating that when moved forward the shell may dropthrough the opening as soon as its flanged head has cleared theprojections n2. At a short distance back of the rear end of the. openingn' a cartridge-depressor arm or lever o is pivoted at o' to a fixedportion of the receiver bridging the chamber n, said arm normallystanding inclined upwardly, so that the extractor-fingers 'm6 carry thecartridge underneath the arm, the said fingers passing on either side ofthe latter and the cartridge by contact with the lower side of the leverbeing caused to lnove downwardly between the said ngers, but not to beentirely released therefrom. A projection o2 on the upper side of thisarm or lever near its pivot stands in the path of a pivoted campiece orwiper, o3, carried by a rearward extension o4 of the block m, thisextension of the block running along the under side of the rod g. Saidwiper is normally held in an ob- Vlique position by a flat spring o5,(see Fig. 7,)

fastened to one side of it at'the rear end and bearing at its forwardend against ahook 06, secured in the block m and depending therefrom,the said spring pressing the wiper against a pin o7, fastened in theunder sideof the block m. This oblique position of the wiper causes itsside edge opposite that where the spring is located to encounter oneside of the projection o2 on the arm o as the rod g movesrearwardly, andthe wiper is therefore ldisplaced by reason of the yielding of thespring o4, so that it passes by the said projection o2 without affectingthe arm o, which revmains in its upward inclined position during therearward stroke of the rod g; butupon the advance of the said rod theforward end of .the wiper o3 encounters the projection o2, it `beingunderstood that as soon as this wiper j passes the projection o2 in therearward stroke of the rod it snaps back to its normal position, whereinits front end or one corner of it is The upper side of the saidprojection is slightly beveled, as is also the corner of the wiper whichencounters said projection, and the effect of the encounter betweenthese parts is well illustrated in Fig. I2, the arm 0 being depressed,

while the bottom surface of the wiper o3 rides along the top surface ofthe projection o2, so that the arm or lever o ispositively held in itsdepressed position with its front end alining with the upper side of thebore of thegunthe cartridge and insuring` its entry into the bore of thebarrel in a proper manner, to which end the underside of the arm isdished or grooved to conform with the curvature of the cartridge.

In order to prevent warping the rod g by reason of the positive actionof the wiper o3 against the projection o2, I provide a lug o8 on theunder side of the cover-plate b5, which lug depends sufficiently forengagement with the strip m3, running along the upper side of the rod g,this engagement continuing as long as the cam-piece and projection o2are in contact, and the lng oS thus resisting any tendency to warpingthe rod J.

The chamber n constitutes a slideway for a breech-block p of cylindricalform and having an upstanding arm p, which projects through alongitudinal slot p2 in the upper side of the chamber it and is formedat its upper end into a collar 133, loosely embracing the rod g betweenthe collar in and the block g, between which there is a sufficient spaceto permit movement of the rod independent of the breech-block, so thatin movement of the rod g in each direction it advances a dislance beforethe breech-block is moved. This .breech-block is grooved in its upperside at the front, as shown at p1, the groove terminating at its rearend in a cam-surface p5, which in the forward movement of thebreechblock encounters the curved or beveled rear edge of a lug p6,formed 011 the under side of the arm @adjacent to the pivotthereof,where by upward movement of the arm is effected, so that whenthe breech-block is in the forward position, as shown in Fig. l, thelugp6 rests upon the upper surface of the breechblock back of the groovep", and the arm o is thereby maintained in its normal upwardlyinclinedposition. When the breech-block is in its rearward position, as shown inFig. 2, the groove p4 is below the lug p, and hence when the wiper o3acts against the lug o2 to depress the lever o the lug p6 moves into thesaid groove, as shown in Fig. l2; but before the wiper so acts thefriction between the extractor-fingers mGand the cartridge supports thearm o in its upward inclined position, as shown in Fig. 2. It ispreferable to provide means for positively limiting the rocking of thearm o, and this I accomplish by means vof oppositely-extendingfingerso9, formed upon a pivot-sleeve of the arm, as shown in Fig. 26, the endsof said ngers being adapted to encounter vthe bottom of thereceiverchamber, whereby the correct cartridge guiding or pointingposition of the arm is assured and the arm is prevented from movingnpward far enough to interfere with the operation of the gun. y \Vhenthe rod g advances, the fingers mG retreat from the iiange of thecartridge as the cam-piece o3 encounters the projectiono2, and thecartridge assumes an inclined position, such as shown in Fig. l2, itshead resting upon the protuberances n2 in the opening it.

A lever r, pivoted to the under side of the receiver, projects at itsforward end through an opening therein and is formed with a dished headr' to receive the front or ball end of the cartridge and properly pointit for entry into the gun-barrel. The rear end of the lever r projectsinto another opening in the under side of the receiver and is formedwith a finger r2, which when engaged by the under surface of thebreech-block at the forward part of the latter is sufficiently depressedto produce an elevation of the dished head r/ within the chamber infront of the breechblock to properly position said head for receivingthe front end of the cartridge and properly pointing it, as clearlyshownin Fig. l2. The breech-block is formed with a longitudinal groove orslot r3 in its under side to receive said finger r2, said grooveterminating at the front end in a cam-surface r4, which coacts with acorresponding surface of the finger to shift the lever i upon a rearwardmovement of the breech-block and bring the dished head on said lever topointing position in the chamber. As the breech-block nears the limit ofits forward movement it encounters the dished head, which slopes olf atthe rear, so that the breech-block may pass easily over and displace it,the finger fr2 entering the slot r3.

The front end of the breech-block is circularly recessed to accommodatethe danged head of the cartridge, which when delivered in the positionshown in Fig. l2 will be encountered by the breech-block in movingforward and will be slid along in its inclined position until its headpasses the front ends of the lugs n2, whereupon said head will drop, sothat it is wholly in front of the breechblock and will occupy thecircular recess in the front end of the same when the latter closes thebreech, said recess being concentric with the bore of the gun-barrel andthe cartridge being guided into the latter by the arm o and lever r.

The breech-block is recessed or grooved in one side at the front, asshown at q in Figs. 14 and 15, to accommodate a pivoted catch q, whoseforward end is normally pressed inward to overhang the circular recessin the end of the breech-block bya spiral spring q2, arranged in arecess of the breech-block behind the heel of said catch. In theopposite side of the breech-block, but not diametrically opposite thecatch q', another and longer groove Q3 is formed, and another catch q1is arranged in said groove, being pivoted intermediate its length andits forward end being pressed inwardly by a spring Q5, occupying arecess in the breech-block behind the heel of the catch. These twocatches take over the flange of the cartridge when the breech-blockcloses the breech, and upon the rearward movement of the breech-blockthey will eX- tract the spent shell,which is ejected through an openingsin the side of the receiver. Ejectment of the shell is accomplished bythe fol- IOO IIO

i lowing means: The heel of the catch g4 is formed with a cam projections', and the end of a screw s2, entered through the side of the receiver,stands inthe path of said cam projectiou, so that as the breech-blocknears the end of its rearward movement the said cam projection willencounter the end of the said screw, and the forward end of the catch g4will bemoved outwardly, so as to be disengaged from the flange of theshell, the catch q', however, remaining engaged with said iiange. In ahorizontal slot 33 made in one side of the receiver a little above thescrew s2 there is pivoted an abutment-piece s4 in the form of a platehaving a toe which projects into a groove 35, formed in the side of thebreech-block, which groove is sufficiently deepened at its forward endto permit the said toe to project into the path of the shell, so thatimmediately upon the catch 14 being released from the latter it willencounter this toe, with the obvious effect of causing the ejectment of.the shell end over end, as indicated in Fig. 14. The abutment-piece s4is pressed inwardly by a flat spring s6, inclosed by a suitablecover-plate 3T, fastened to the side of the receiver, and the inwardmovement of said abutment-piece is limited by a pin ss, which encountersthe side of the receiver.

The catch Q4 is not essential for extracting purposes, but is providedmore particularly to guard against the shell being accidentallydisplaced before it reaches the proper position for ejectment, and inthis connection the location .of this catch in a lower plane than theopposite catch q (see Fig. 2l) is important as being calculated toprevent upward tilting of the shell, such as might otherwise occurshould it encounter the dished head lr' or some other accidentallyinterposed obstruction in the process of extraction.

The breech-block at its forward end is bored centrally to receive thefiring-pin t, which is normally retracted by a spiral springt',occupying arecess back of the firing-pin bore and bearing at one endagainst one end of said recess and at the other end against a collar onthe firing-pin, the rearward movement of the latter being limited byascrew t2, which stands in the path of said collar. Back ofthe recesswhich contains said spring the breech-block is bored out in largerdiameter and contains the hammer comprising-a circular head t5, fit-`ting the enlarged bore and abutting the firepin, and a stem te,surrounded `by a spiral springtl, confined between the hammer-head t5and a screw-plug 15B, closing the rear end of the enlarged bore of thebreech-block. The hammer-stem slides through this plug and has across-head1?, with a rounded lower end fitting the base of the chambern, and a finger il in the slot p2, and the said cross-head is adapted tobe engaged on its front side by a Sear u, the tripping of-which permitsthe hammer to act against the firing-pin. This Sear is pivoted at u' ina slot formed in the bottom of the receiver and has a heel u2 dependingsubstantially at right angles to it, and the upward movement of the searis limited by a pin n3, encountering the under side of the receiver, thesaid sear being pressed upwardly by a dat spring n4, which is secured tothe under side of the receiver and bears against the sear on the rearside of its pivot. The pivot u for the sear is also the pivot forabreech-block locking-piece or latch 11.,which has a depending heel a5confronting the heel u2 of the sear, and said locking-piece is pressedupwardly through the slot in the bottom of the receiver by a fiat springu, which is superior in strength to the spring a4, the upward movementbeing limited bya pin u8, which encounters the under side of thereceiver. The locking-piece u" is formed with a cam projection a7, whichwhen the lock is in itsuppermost position, as shown in Figs. l, 9, and10, stands in line with an arm u, depending from the block gG throughthe slot p2, the lower part of said arm being shaped to partiallyembrace the hammer-stem as a guide. The lower extremity of this arm isbeveled, as shown at am, for coaction with the beveled front side of thecam projection a7, so that upon the rearward movement of the rod g andbefore the collar m4 encounters the collar p3 the lock-piece, whichnormally stands behind the breech-block, as shown in Fig. 1, andprevents rearward movement of the latter,.will be displaced. Thebreech-block is beveled on the lower side at the rear end, as shown atn.12 in Fig. 10, so as to .readily pass over the lock-piece and its camprojection in moving rearwardly.

A handle e similar in form to a pistol-grip is fastened to the underside of the receiver and is chambered to contain an` upstanding wedget", whose upper end enters between the heels u2 and 11,5 of the scar andlock-piece, the

.to prevent any action 0f the hammeigand when the wedge fu' is in itslowermost position there is'uot sufficient of it interposed between theheels u2 and a5 to cause the upward movement of the latch orlocking-piece under the linilueuce of the spring as to effect a disen-`gagementof the sear from the hammer. However, upon drawing back theinger-piece c4 the wedgeis forced up between the saidheels,

and the spring a4 being weaker than the spring a6 the sear is displacedand the hamlmer released, whereupon the firing-pin is `driven againstthe cartridge. A set-screwu,

entered through the rear side of the. guard 125, regulates the amount ofmovement of the trig- :ger necessary to force the wedge the requisiteIOO distance upward between the heels. So long as the wedge isinterposed between the heelpieces to the extent produced by manipulationof the linger-piece, the upward movement of the latch u", under theinfluence of the spring u, will effect the disengagement 'of the searfrom the hammer, so that each time the saidlatch locks thc breech-blockthe hammer is released.

A brief review of the general operation of parts in a cycle of the gunsaction will now be sufficient, coupled with statements of operationhereinbeforc given relative to particular mechanisms.

The parts being in the relative positions shown in Fig. l and a belt ofcartridges having` been introduced through the side openings in thefront part of the receiver, so that the first cartridge is in properposition to be extracted from the belt, and the extractorlingers m6having been previously retracted by manipulation of the handle t' andthen released so as to snap over the flanged head of the cartridge, thesaid handle is now drawn back to the limit of its rearward movement, soas to extract the first cartridge from the belt and is then released, sothat this cartridge will be introduced into the breech of the gun barreland the second cartridge grasped by the extractor-fingers, and thenthelinger-piece'v4isdrawn back,whch has the eifect of elevating` thewedge t" and forcing it between the heels u? and a5, thereby depressingthe searu,whereby the hammeris released, so that it impinges upon thefiring-pin. As soon as the ball passes the port c6 gas travels backthrough the pipe e and operating upon the piston f drives the rod g andattached parts back, whereby the extractor-lingers m6 are caused to pulla cartridge out of the belt and carry the same back under the arm 0 tothe position shown in Fig. 2. The breechblock remains locked in itsforward position until the ball has traveled ashort distance beyond theport c6, and then the action of the collar m4 against the collar p3causes the breech-block to move rearwardly, it having been previouslyunlocked by the action of the arm ug against the cam projection a7 onthe locking-piece u. In the rearward move ment of the breech-block thelever r is tilted so as to bring the dished head thereof up intoposition to receive the ball end of the cartridge. The empty shell isdrawn out of the breech by the catches q and Q4 and ejected through theside opening S in the receiver just as the limit of the rearwardmovement of the reciprocatory structure is reached and while the freshcartridge is still above the chamber formed between the breech and thebreech-block, said cartridge having brought upagainst the shoulderformed by the front side of the lugp, with its head lowered somewhat bycontact with the arm o, but still above the breechblock and alwaysfarther forward than the same. Fig. :2 illustrates the relativepositions of parts when the reciprocatory structure is `the breech theextractor-catches at the limit of its rearward movement, and it will beunderstood that the feed-slide has moved outwardly, so that its dogs arebehind 'the cartridge next but one to that extracted 'upon movingforward it will encounter the same, whereby the hammer will berestrained and its spring compressed. The ball having issued from themuzzle and the gas having spent itself, the springs g2 impel the rod gforward, and instantly the fingers m6 leave the cartridge, and the wipero3 encounters the lug 02, and the arm 0 is thrown down and pushes thecartridge down suficiently to bring it in front of the breech-block,where its head rests upon the lugs n2, while its ball end rests on thedished head of the lever r. The block gG encounters the collar p3, andthereupon the breech-block is moved forward and acts upon the cartridgeto shove the same forward, and just after the ball has entered thebreech the head of the cartridge passes the anges n2 and drops, sothatit is wholly in front of the breech-block. The breech-block isdriven home, and as the cartridge comes to a seat in snap over theflange of its head and the parts assume the normal position shown inFig. l, the feedslide having moved in and entered a cartridge in thethroat of the receiver, where it is seized by the fingers m6. Thelinger-piece o4 being held in its backward position, the upward movementof the locking-piece u, under influence of the stronger spring a6,causes the downward movement of the sear u and the release of thehammer, so that the cartridge which has been introduced into the breechof the gun-barrel is immediately discharged.

It will thus be seen that so long as the belt supplies the cartridgesand the finger-piecetf1 is held back the cartridges will be dischargedin rapid succession automatically.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 30 to 35 the rear end of thereceiver, which might be termed the gun-stock, is shown provided withhandles w, fastened on opposite sides of the saine and projecting fromthe rear end thereof, so that they can be conveniently grasped by thetwo hands of the operator, and the pistol-grip on the under side isdispensed with, the trigger mechanism being modified, as presentlydescribed. Adjacent ICO IIO

to one of these handles there is pivoted to ears on the block closingthe rear end of the receiver a thumb-piece w, which bears against a capw, screwed on the rear end of a rod w?, sliding through the said blockand carrying at its forward end a cross-pin w3, engaged with the hookedupper end of a bifurcated arm 104, which constitutes one member of abell-crank lever, the other member 005 of which is jointed by aslot-and-pin connection with a pendent wedge ws, a spiral spring wlbeing'attached to the arm 104 at one end and i vin this modifiedconstruction the locking-piece and sear are-arranged above thebreech-block and the hammer is wholly contained within the latter. The'reference-letter a: designates the hammer-stein, and fr' the cross-headon the same, which has a lugxtraveling ina longitudinal slot xsin theupper side of the breechblock, aspiral spring 00'. bein gv interposedbetween the head w" and the vplug which closes the rear end of thebreech-block.. As in the' former construction the latch and sear have acommompivot, which is designated by the letter y, butthe position of theparts is-reversed, those portions which engagethe Vbreech-block andhammer-,head being on the lower side of the Vpivot and the parts whichare engaged by the wedge w being on they upper side of the pivot. j Thelocking-piece f .comprises axrarm fy', which is adapted-toenter a notchy" inthe upper side of thebreech- Y block and lock the same in itsforward position, an-upwardly-extending arm y2 occupyy inga position onthe rear side ofl the wedge .'w, and anarmor lug @/3, which ispositioned for contact with a lug if on the under side of the rod g,Vthislatter lug `cerresponding with `the'. arm ttf in the formerconstructionand operating to release. the `lock byreasou of its contactwith the'- upper forward corner of thelug ,ji/3., ,The4 top surface ofthe breech-blockis beveled for short distance from the front end of thenotch y", asshown at/yS, so that in the rearward movement of Athebreech-blockthis beveled surface may operate against the arm yv of thelocking-piece and elevate the same, so thatwhen thejforward portionofthe top surface of the breechblock is supporting said arm of thelocking-` piece the lug 'g3 will be sufliciently depressedv to 4permitthe passage of the lug @/4 on the rod p g-when the latter advances. Thespring end of the arm @/9, so as which depresses the arm y' of thelockingpiece is indicated at fg, said spring being suitably fastened toan appropriate portion of the Areceiver and bearingvupwardly against alug y?, projecting rearwardly fromrthe boss of the locking-piece. Y Thesear comprises an arm ya, `*adapted to en ter the slot 9:3 and stand infront of the lug m2 on the hammer-head fr', as clearly shown in Fig. 3l,and also an upstanding arm @jfbstandiug in l `front of the wedge w,opposite the `latch-arm y2. A flat spring y1@ is suit- -ably secured toan appropriate part of the casing and bears upwardly against the lower,to press thearm ys downwardly into position -for engagement with thelug'on the hammer-head, a pin ym by abutting the surface at one side ofthe slot limiting the movementofvthe sear. Said spring ym is inferior tothe spring y, which presses the lock-arm y' downwardly, and it willtherefore be seen that by pressing thek .thumb-piece w'uinwardly, andthereby forcing the wedge w downwardly, the sear will be disengaged fromthe hammer-head and that by holding said thumb-piece pressed inwardlyeach time the lock-piece moves into locking position the sear will bedisengaged' from the hammer-head, the action in this respect beingsubstantially similar to that of theV previously described devices. Inthe modified form the lock-piece is slotted under the lug ys, and .thearm/g8 of the Sear occupies the slot and is offset from the arm @/9, so

that the latter can confront the arm y2 of the locking piece, the pivotpin extending through the arm ya, where it occupies the slot, as showninFig. 34.

Figs. 36 and which a leverz is employed in conjunction with thecam-piece las, which lever is pivoted at its lend, as shown at z',having no tailpiece, such as that employed in thev former construction.'

the formerA construction, the slide is moved outwardly by a retractilespiral springe?, which is connected at one end tothe inner end portionof the slide and occupies a `recess z3 in the to of the casing 3'3,being connected to a plug z closing the outer endv of said recess.

f In eitherform of receiver access may be had for the purpose of.removinga cartridge 4should one become stuekin transit fromthe belttovthe breech through kan opening b9 in oneside ofjthe receiver, whichopening is adapted to be closed by aslide 1910. A simi- 37`illustrate amodified 'construction of cartridge-feeding 'mechanism in- Instead of. aflat spring, such as employed in Ioo lar 4slide Z912 is` arranged toclose the opening sin the opposite side of the receiver whenthe `gun isnot in use.

It is to be understood that while the forms of means here illustratedare admirably adapted to the fulfilment of the object primarilystated,yet the invention can be embodied in IIO other forms, and hence Ido not confine myselfl in the following claims. to the details ofconstruction herein shown and described.

In the-feed mechanism the dogs might be arrangedtoact against thecartridge immevthe dogs when being extracted from the belt.

Again, instead of afU shaped feed ,-vslide,

such as hereshown, asolid blocker plate `diately to be extracted; but I,prefer toso lovcate these dogs that they ywill act against ,the

might be employed; but I prefer the -formY shown as better calculated toresist a twisting tendency induced by the lever and Vcanrl mechanism. fv

, vHaving thus fully describedimy invention, Y

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is`

- l1. In a gas-operated rapid-fire gun, the comiro bination ofareceiverhavingascreW-threaded boss on its forward end, a barrel projecting fromthe receiver and supported thereby, a gas-conduit communicatingWithvsaid barrel in the rear of its muzzle and extending back to thereceiver, a Water-jacket embracing said conduit and barrel and having aflanged inner end abutting the boss on the receiver, and acoupling-collar taking over the flange of the jacket and engaging thescrew-threads of said boss. v

2. Ina gas-operated rapid-tire gun, the combination with the receiver,the barrel and the gas-conduit, of a Water-jacket embracing said conduitand barrel and detachably coupled to the receiver and having lugs Whichengage opposite sides of the gas-conduit to hold the jacket from turningin either direction.

3. In a gas-operated rapid-fire gun, a gasconduit communicating with thebarrel at the forward part of the same and extending rearwardlytherefrom, a cylinder compounded with said conduit, a perforated plugclosing the rear end of the cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, andloading mechanism actuated by said piston.

4. In agas-operated rapid-fire gun, the combination of a barrel having ascrew-threaded socket on one side anda port through the bottom of saidsocket, a gas-conduit in the form of a pipe having atransversely-apertured and interiorly-screW-threaded head, a

lplug screwing into said head and into the socket of the barrel andhaving a bore communicating with the port in the bottom of said socketand also having a port to register with the pipe-bore, a cylindercompounded with said pipe, a piston in said cylinder, and loadingmechanism actuated by said piston.

5. In agas-operated rapid-fire gun, the combination of a barrel having ascrew-threaded socket on one side and a port through the bottom of saidsocket, agas-conduit in the form of a pipe having atransversely-apertured and interiorly-screW-threaded head, a plugscrewing into said head and into the socket of the barrel and havingabore communicating with the port in the bottom of said socket and alsohaving a port to register With the pipe-bore, a valve or choker in theform of a screw entered through one side of the pipehead and having anend portion protruding into the bore of the plug, a cylinder compoundedwith the said pipe, a piston in said l cylinder, and loading mechanismactuated by said piston. y

G. In arapid-re gun, the combination of a reciprocatory actuator havinga laterally-projecting cam-incline tapering as it extends forward, ahorizontally-vibratory lever arranged laterally beyond the saidcam-incline and having a roller to coact therewith in effecting outwardmovement of the lever under for- Ward movement of the actuator, and acartridge-feeding slide coupled to said lever and equipped with dogsadapted to successively engage cartridges carried in a belt which passesthrough the receiver of the gun, provisions existing by virtue of whichthe lever and slide are retracted when the actuator moves rearwardly,substantially as described.

7. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a reciprocatory actuatorhaving a laterally-pro.- jecting cam-incline tapering as it extendsforward, a horizontally-vibratory lever arranged laterally beyond thesaid cam-incline and havinga roller to coacttherewith in effectingoutward movement of the lever under for- Ward movement of the actuator,and a cartridge-feeding slide coupled to said lever and equipped withdogs adapted to successively engage cartridges carried in a belt Whichpasses through the receiver of the gun, together with a spring arrangedto retract the lever and slide upon rearward movement of the actuator.

8. In a rapid-tire gun, a receiver having openings in opposite sides anda passage-Way between said openings, one of the latter being ofsuflicient Width to pass a cartridge crosswise and the other being ofless Width and the receiver having internal shoulders at opposite sidesof the passage-way for the cartridge to abut, an upwardly-pointing pinstanding out from the face of one of sai-d shoulders, means for feedinga cartridge against the shoulders and under said pin, and means forremoving the cartridge lengthwise from its position against theshoulders.

9. In a rapid-tire gun, the combination of a receiver, a reciprocatoryactuator therein having a cam-piece on one sidel and a roller on theopposite side running along a wall-of the receiver, andcartridge-feedingdevices cooperating with said cam-piece to actuate abelt 0f cart-ridges step by step under reciprocation ofthe saidactuator.

l0. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a reciprocatoryactuatorcarrying a pair of extractor-lingers transversely disposedrelative thereto, spring-pressed toward each other, movable in a planesubstantially at right angles to the plane of movement of the actuator,and having oppositely-inclined confronting side faces adapted toencounter a cartridge-head in the feed-throat under one direction ofmovement of the actuator, longitudinal edges of said fingers snappingpast the [lange of the cartridge and extracting the latter from thethroat upon the reverse movement of said extractor; and means forfeeding cartridges into the throat.

ll. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a reciprocatory actuatorcarrying apair of extractor-fingers spring-pressed toward each other andhaving oppositely-inclined confronting faces adapted to encounter acartridge-head in the feed-throat under one direction of movement of theactuator, said iingers snapping by the Hange of the cartridge andextracting the latter from the throat upon the reverse movement of saidactuator, and

IOO

having lugs on their' rear edges to hold the cartridge down; and meansfor feeding cartridges into the throat.

12. In a rapid-fire grin, the combination of a receiver havingacartridge-belt passage extending transversely through its front portionand a throat to receive the cartridges one by one, an upwardly-pointingguard-pin standing out toward the entrance to the throat at one side ofthe throat and holding a cartridge in proper positiontherein, areciprocatory actuator having means for extracting the cartridge fromthe belt, and means for feeding the cartridges into the throat.

13. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a lreceiver having afeed-throat, means for feeding cartridges crosswise into said throat, areciprocatoryfactuator having a block recessed in its sides and acrossits top, fingers pivoted in the side recesses and having dependingportions with oppositely-inclined confronting faces, anda spring in thetop recess of the block bearing upon the upper ends of the lingers andpressing their depending portions toward each other, the confrontingfaces of the latteradapted to encounter the flanged head of the.cartridge in the throat whereby the ngers are spread apart and snap iover the flange of the cartridge, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

14. In a rapid-fire'fgun, the combination of a receiver having a throatfor cartridges, a reciprocatory actuator having means for extractin gthe Acartridge from said throat, a cartridge depressing and pointing armnormally standing on an upward inclination and beneath which arm thecartridge is carried by the extracting means, and means carried by thereciprocatory actuator for depressing said arm upon the advance of theactuator, substantially as and for thepurpose'described.

15. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having a throatfor cartridges, a reciprocatory actuator having means for extracting thecartridge from said throat, a cartridge depressing and pointing armnormally standing on an upward inclination and beneath which armthecartridge is carried by the extracting means, said arm having anupstandin g lu g, and a laterally-movable springpressed wiper on thereciprocatory actuator positioned to encounter said lug with one sideedge in the Arearward stroke of the actuator and be thereby displacedand to encounter the lugA with its forward end in the ladvance of theactuator' thereby depressing the arm, substantially as andv for thepurpose described.

16. V-In a rapid-fire'gun, the combination of areceiver havingacartridge-throat at its'forward part, a reciprocatory actuator having,

means for extracting a cartridgev from -the throat, a breech-blockengaged with said ac-` tuator so as to be reciprocated therebyandgrooved in its upper side at the front, a car-v tridge depressing'andpointing arm pivoted to a stationaryfsupport and'having a heel pieceengaging the breechblock whereby when the latteris advanced the arm isheld in an upward-inclined position'where the cartridge can pass underit, and when the breechblock is retracted said arm maydrop by reason ofthe groove in the breech-block receiving the heel-piece of the arm; andmeans carried by the actuator for throwing down the said arm,substantially as and for the purpose described.

17. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having afeed-throat at its forward part, a reciprocatory actuator havingspringpressed fingers to seize a cartridge in said throat, a pivoted armstanding normally in an upward-inclined position where the saidspring-lingers will pass on either side of it when the actuator movesrearwardly, and means carried by the actuator for depressing said armwhen said actuator advances and the cartridge has been delivered underthe arm.

18. In a rapideire gun, the combination of a receiver having a throatfor cartridges, a reciprocatory actuator having means for extracting thecartridge from said throat, a cartridge depressing and pointingy armnormally standing on an upward inclination and beneath which arm thecartridge is carried by the extracting mean s, means carried by thereciprocatory actuator for depressing said arm upon the advance of theactuator, a lower cartridge-pointing arm or lever, and means forelevating the latter to receive the ball end of the cartridge.

19. In a rapid-tire gun, the combination of a receiver having a throatfor cartridges, a reciprocatoryactuator 'having means for extracting thecartridge from said throat, a cartridge depressing and pointing armnormally standing on an upward inclination andbeneath which arm thecartridge is carried by the extracting means, means carried by thereciprocatory actuator for depressing said arm upon the advance of theactuator, a lower cartridge-pointing arm or lever, and a breechblockengaged with the actuator so as to be reciprocated thereby and groovedin the under side to receive the heel of said lower cartridge-pointinglever, the forward end of said groove operating on the backward movementof the breech-block to tilt the said lever to position for receiving theball end of the cartridge, substantially as and.v for the purposedescribed.

20. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having acartridge-'throat at its forward part, a reciprocatory actuator having-means for extracting a cartridge'from the throat, a'breech-blockengaged with said actuator so as to be reciprocated thereby and groovedin its upper and lower sides, upper and lower cartridge-pointing armshaving heels for engagement with said grooves respectively, thebreech-block in its forward position holding the lower arm depressed,and theupper arm elevated so that the cartridge can pass under it, andmeans carried by the IOO IIO

actuator for depressing the upper arm on the forward stroke of theactuator, an accompanying forward movement of the breechblock causingthe front end of its lower groove to'elevate the cartridge-receiving endof the lower arm.

2l. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having afeed-throat at its forward part, a reciprocatory actuator having meansfor extracting cartridges one by one from said throat, a breech-blockengaged with the actuator so as to be reciprocated thereby, means fordelivering the cartridge in front of the said breech-bloclga guide orpointing-lever to receive the ball end of the cartridge when sodelivered, and means for shifting said lever, substantially asdescribed.

22. In a rapid-hre gun, the combination of a receiver having afeed-throat at its forward part, a reciprocatory actuator having meansfor extracting cartridges one by one from said throat, a breech-blockengaged with the actuator so as to be reciprocated thereby, and groovedin its under side, means for delivering the cartridge in front of saidbreechblock, and a pointing-lever having a head to receive the ball endof the cartridge when so delivered and having a heel to enter the groovein the under side of the breech-block, the forward end of said grooveoperating to tilt the lever and bring its head up into position forreceiving the ball end of the cartridge.

23. In a rapid-iire gun, the combination of a receiver having adischarge-opening in one side, a grooved breech-block reciprocating insaid receiver and past said opening, springpressed extractor-catches ingrooves of said breech-block, one located in a lower plane than theother,and havingacam projection,an abutment-in the receiver for said camprojection to encounter, and an ejector on the receiver and projectinginto a groove in the breech-block where the extracted shell willencounter it upon being disengaged from the catch having the camprojection.

24. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having a chamberrunning back from the barrel andla discharge-opening in one side of thechamber, a breech-block in said chamber, spring pressed extractorcatchescarried by the breech-block, one located in a lower plane than theother, means for tripping that one of said catches, an ejecting abutmentfor the cartridge to encounter upon disengagement from said catch, andmeans for reciprocating the breech-block.

25. In a rapid-firing gun, the combination of a reciprocatorybreech-block, arranged to be moved backward by force resulting from adischarge, a spring arranged to impel said breech-block forward, afiring-pin in the breech-block, a hammer carried by the breechblock andspring-actuated into engagement with the firing-pin, a sear arranged toengage said hammer and hold it while the breechblock moves forward, alatch arranged to lock the breech-block in its forward position,meansfor automatically displacing said latch, and trigger mechanism fortripping the sear and establishing a connection between the latter andthe latch, substantially as described.

26. Inarapid-firegun,areciprocatory structure adapted to be actuated inone direction by -force resulting from a discharge and in the oppositedirection byspring-pressure,said structure comprising a member receivingthe direct impact of the retracting force and having abutment-pieces anda cam-piece,a breechblock having a part extending between the saidabutment-pieces, a sufficient space being provided to permitmovement ofthe said member having the abutment-pieces independent of thebreech-block, a iiring-pin in the breech-block, and a hammer carried bythe latter and spring-actuated toward the firing-pin; in combinationwith a sear adapted to engage said hammer and hold it while thebreech-block advances, a latch arranged to lock the breech-block in itsforward position and adapted to be displaced by the cam-piece on thefirst-named member of the reciproca` tory structnre,and triggermechanism for tripping the sear and establishing a connection betweenthe same and the latch, substantially as described.

27. In a gas-operated gun, the combination of a lreciprocatory actuator,a breech-block engaged therewith, a spring-pressed hammer carried by thebreech-block, a locking-piece in the form of an automatic catchoperating independently of the actuator-reciprocating means and adaptedto hold the breech-block against the breech end of the gun-barrel; asear, and connections between the lockingpiece and Sear whereby thelatter is tripped by the movement of the former into locking position.

2S. In a gas-operated gun, the combination of a reciprocatory actuator,a breech-block engaged therewith, a spring-pressed hammer carried by thebreech-block, a locking-piece in the form of aspring-pressed catchforholding the latter against the breech end of the gun-barrel, a sear,and connections between the locking-piece and sear whereby the latter istripped by the movement of the former into locking position.

29. In a gas-operated gun, the combination of'a reciprocatory actuator,a breech-block engaged therewith, a spring-pressed hammer carried by thebreech-block, a locking-piece for holding the latter against the breechend of the gun-barrel, a sear, and trigger mechanism establishing aconnection between the lock and sear whereby the latter is tripped bymovement of the former into locking position.

30. In a gas-operated gun, the combination of a breech-block, aspring-pressed hammer carried thereby,a locking-leverspring-pressed tolocking engagement with the breech-block and having a heel a searpivoted concentrically with said lock-lever and having a heelconfronting that of the latter, said sear being ICO IIO

pressed to hammer-engaging. position by a `of a breech-block, aspring-pressedv hammer carried thereby,alockinglever spring-pressed tolocking engagement with the breech-block and having a heel, and a camprotuberauce,

a sear pivoted concentrically with said locklever and having a heelconfronting that of the latter, said sear being pressed tohammerengaging position by a spring inferior to that which actuates thelocking-lever,a filler-piece or Wed ge between said confronting heels,manipulative means connected with said wedge, and a reciprocatoryactuator engaged with the breech-block but movable a distanceindependently thereof and having a projection to act against the camprotuberance of the locking-lever, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

32. In an automatic rapid-fire gun, a reciprocatory actuator having abifurcated arm, and aV slide-rod having a handle and a head to abut thefront side of the bifurcated arm and a cross-piece to abut the rear sideof said bifurcated arm when the rod is turned, substantially asdescribed.

33. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a receiver having atransversefpassage for a belt of cartridges and a throat to receive thecartridges one by one,while in the belt, a feedslide having dogsarranged to move a cartridge into the throat by operating against acartridge farther removed from the throat, means for reciprocating theslide, and means for extracting from the belt the cartridge in thethroat.

34. In a rapid-fire gun, the combination of a reciprocatory actuatorhaving a bifurcation, afmanipulative slide-rod extending through saidbifurcation and having a head to encounter one side of the same, saidrod also having a cross-piece of dimensions to pass through thebifurcation under one adjustment of the rod and to take over the side ofthe bifu rcation opposite that which the head abuts, when the rod isturned to another adjustment; and cartridge feeding, loading, firing andextracting means in operative connection with the actuator.

35. In a rapid-fire machine-gun, the receiver having thelongitudinally-disposed ribs or guides on opposite sides thereof, incombination with the interposed reciprocatory bar bearing against saidguides and having bifurcated portions embracing the same; said barhaving a forward extension and cam portions thereon for engaging andactuating the feedslide-actuating lever, and also provided with meansfor actuating the cartridge-depressing arm,the breech-block lock, andbreech-block, and with means for extracting a cartridge from vthecartridge -belt when the actuator moves rearward; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR P. DE KNIGHT.

Witnesses:

GHAs. E. RroRDoN, OsGooD H. DOWELL.

